Why have you moved on?
by KonekoKodee
Summary: In New Moon, Edward decides to come back, but he's too late: Laurent already bit Bella, and Edward thinks Bella is dead. What will happen when she isn't but he has found his mate?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Forks, Washington, 2006

BPOV

He walked towards me slowly, slower than human's pace. I guess he enjoyed my fear: my rapid breathing, my whole body shaking, my heart beating so fast that part of my mind was surprised that it hadn't broken any veins, or caused any spinal damage…yet. He promised me a quick end, afflicting no more physical pain than necessary. I hoped that he would keep his promise.

"W-w-wait," I stuttered. How could I be so selfish? "What about Charlie? If I die, it'll kill him! And Renee…"

Laurent smiled down at me. "Is that your pretext for me to not kill you? Because it's pretty pathetic, you have to admit…How can two humans prevent a vampire from his meal?"

"N-no, no, I wouldn't mind if I die, but what about the people that I leave behind? It wouldn't be fair for them…" The funeral expenses, all the grief…

"You still care about them? During the last minutes of your life, you're worried about others. Impressive, I'd say." I risked a glance at his eyes, and immediately regretted it. The pools, now as black as ebony, enlarged. I gulped. "Well," he seemed to ponder for a moment, "as for Charlie, I can finish him off, since he must taste as good as you, given that you share the same blood, or almost…" He took the last step towards me. "But I'll decide later, you're too hard to resist right now…mmm…"

He placed his right hand on my neck, gently caressing it, his cold, hard fingers searching for my pulsing jugular. When he found it, he moved his hands to the sides of my head, and brushed his lips along my neck. A movement so similar, yet so different from how Edward used to do it. Edward, my heart started throbbing harder than ever, did it with caution and love. But Laurent did it to signal the final moments of my life. I wonder if there was an afterlife, and what it would be like there…Would I meet Edward – No, of course not, I told myself, he'll be on earth forever, enjoying life with his newfound mate like he should, and having his happily ever after.

Laurent's teeth pierced through my soft skin, drinking my blood slowly, as if to savor it.

I looked at the sky, seeing a crow fly by, croaking loudly. _I love you, Edward_, I thought to the sky,_though you don't return my feelings, I just want you to know that I'll love you forever, and I hope you'll end up with someone better than me, a mere, clumsy, bad-lucked human. And dear Charlie, Renee, and Phil, I love you guys, too. Please just carry on with your lives after my death. Goodbye, everyone. Love you all!_ I felt dizzy from the loss of blood.

Suddenly, Laurent stopped drinking and dropped me to the meadow floor. I was finished, already? Was afterlife just your soul staying forever in the place where you died? Then I'd be happy to stay in the meadow where Edward and I shared so many wonderful moments of love.

Then out of the corner of my eyes, I saw 5 oversized wolves charge from behind the trees, running around me to some unseen prey. At least I won't be torn apart by 5 sets of jaws…

That's was when I started to feel the pain, the incapacitating, fiery flame that started to spread from my neck. The last thing I heard was an earsplitting metallic screeching before I succumbed to the unbearable fire.

5 hours later, Atlantic Forest, Brazil, 2006

EPOV

Bella, Bella, Bella. That's all I can thing about. Bella, Bella, Bella…If I love her so much, why did I leave her? Oh right, for her own good, to let her live a normal, happy, and _human_ life, which I can't give her.

_I should go back_, half of my mind thought, the 'pro' side.

_No, you should not_, the other half, the 'con' side argued, _if you love her, than you should be able to let her live the life that she was supposed to live. Don't be selfish!_

_But…but what if she wants me too?_ The first half of my mind asked hopelessly.

_Wishful thinking…she may want you now, but she's a_human_and she'll get over you soon, and move on with her life, just like she should. You caused enough damage in her life, and took a year of her life from her friends. Now quit sulking, and track Victoria!_

_Can I PLEASE visit Bella? Just to see if she's okay? She won't see me, I swear! And I'll leave immediately!_ My 'pro' side begged the 'con' side.

_But what if she's with another guy? Will you attack him? Rip him apart?_

_Uh…um…_

_See?_ My 'con' side smirked.

_No, I will not attack him, I'd do anything to make Bella happy, and if she's happy with him, then…fine, it's her life to live…and I won't interfere._

_Are you sure?_

My 'pro' side smiled. _Positive._

_Okay then, only a SHORT visit._

I jumped up in excitement, and raced to the airport. Only 19 hours separated Bella and I.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 2

On the way to Forks, 2006

EPOV

I couldn't stop fidgeting in my seat during the plane ride; a lingering human tendency.

Human. Something I could never be for my sweet, loving Bella. _No_, as painful as it was, she wasn't mine anymore. I completely destroyed the possibility of her being mine and me being hers when I left her that day in the woods. That scene kept replaying itself in my head every minute – no – second. Every time I saw her face, pained and broken, in my mind, I felt like my dead heart was being yanked out of my body, sliced into a million pieces, and rolled over by an enormous tank.

How could she believe that I didn't want her anymore? How could she doubt my vampiric, unwavering love for her? How could she let a single word negate all the countless times I told her that I loved her? Was she _that_ clueless on how much she meant to me?

The dead look on her face when I left her gave me the answers. Yes, she _did_ believe that I didn't want her anymore, that I didn't love her anymore, and that she didn't know how important she was in my life. As soon as I fed her all those lies, her eyes told me that she believed the lies, and gave up. I knew that I would cave in soon, looking at Bella's tear-filled eyes. And when she said "Wait!", I almost gave in, but the replay of Bella's near-death experience at her birthday party gave me just enough strength to not immediately grab Bella into a hug, tell her I loved her and will always love her, and kiss her, boundaries forgotten. But, as excruciating as it was, even more excruciating than my transformation, I had to turn away from Bella and not bother her life again. I made a promise; I just hoped that I would be strong enough to keep it.

Every time I wanted to go back to Forks and beg for Bella's forgiveness, I had to remind myself that this was for Bella's benefit. That all my suffering – no, suffering didn't even cover all the pain, sorrow, and misery I felt – would be worth Bella's happiness in the end. I had to keep reminding myself that it was me who chose to leave Bella, so that she wouldn't be dragged into our dangerous world, so that she could live a normal, long, and peaceful life. She could get married, have kids, grow old, and enjoy life with her grandkids. I couldn't give her the happy, human life that an angel like her deserved to have. I could only put her life at risk, constantly, because of the horrible monster I am.

I knew that I _should_ want Bella to have moved on, and be dating a good, human boy, so that she could have her happy ending. The altruistic part of me hoped that whoever that boy was, he would see what a beautiful, selfless, and caring girl Bella was, and love her unconditionally.

But the selfish part of me couldn't bear the thought of Bella being with someone else. An image of _Mike Newton_ – I thought that name with disgust – kissing Bella flashed in my mind, courtesy of one of Newton's _less offensive_ fantasies about Bella, and a low growl escaped my lips before I could control it. Several heads turned towards me, some, quizzical, other, and fearful. Fortunately, they turned away after seeing me, completely relaxed, with earphones on, and with an open book in front of me. I spent the rest of the flight replaying images of Bella laughing, sleeping, blushing, and…dazzled.

As soon as the plane landed, I was out of my seat before anyone had the chance to react. I didn't have any luggage so I skipped the baggage claim area and ran to the airport exit, slightly faster than a human could. I no longer cared about what the people around me thought. Even the risk of exposure meant little to me right now; I was only focused on seeing Bella as soon as possible. Thankfully there was a forest near the airport, so I jogged to the forest, and after making sure no one could see me; I sped off to Bella's house.

On the way, I spotted a black bear ambling majestically. I decided to take it down; my eyes were pitch black, and after the last 6 months apart, it would be harder for me to resist her appealing blood.

While drinking the bear's blood, I couldn't help but notice a crow croaking at me, perched on a nearby branch. Out of pure curiosity, I looked into the crow's mind. It was strangely organized: he classified everything he saw into categories, linking actions together. As he watched me drink the bear's blood, two figures appeared in his mind. Both were very blurry, but I could see two spots: one brown, the other, black. Then the brown spot became smaller, while a milky white replaced most of the circle. Between the two spots was a bit of vivid red.

Interesting…but it wasn't making any sense to me. Or maybe my super-smart mind wasn't trying to understand how the two smudges of colors and red could be related to me drinking an animal's blood.

I buried the carcass and took off again, making my legs go even faster.

After 20 long minutes, I hopped into the tree in front of Bella's room and peeked in. Weird, she wasn't in her room. Before, she usually stayed home on a Saturday afternoon. Perhaps she now spent her time socializing? Over at a friend's, or _boyfriend's_ house? That seemed unlikely for a shy girl like Bella, so I assumed that she was at a bookstore.

Charlie wasn't home; probably working again, or fishing, so I jumped into Bella's room, expecting to be engulfed by her floral scent. But when I took in a breath of air, I realized that her scent was over a day old, and Charlie's scent was more noticeable, and more recent.

How was that possible? Did she go to a sleepover? What a coincidence! But how come Charlie's scent was covering everything in Bella's room? Which, as I looked around, wasn't much at all. There was only a bed, a desk, and the rocking chair.

Did Bella move out? She didn't have any reason to move when she was in the middle of her senior year…Unless he moved to Jacksonville to live with her mother a day ago…But why now? Why didn't she move right after I left? All this wasn't making any sense to me…I needed someone who could give me the answers I desperately needed. Someone who could clear all my confusion for me.

I didn't realize that it was eerily silent in head, that there were no thoughts to hear until I heard a car drive by.

I felt as if a lightning bolt struck me as I heard the thoughts of the car's driver.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 3

Forks, Washington, 2006

EPOV

'_Where is that church? I've been driving around this area for 15 minutes already and I still can't find that church! Urrghhh! Charlie will be so disappointed when he finds out that I, his most trusted fellow police officer, am late for his only daughter's funeral…Shit, shit, shit!'_

WHAT? This cannot be happening. No…Maybe there's another police officer in Forks named Charlie with one daughter, maybe…My mind was in denial mode now. I continued reading this person's thoughts, silently praying that this deceased person was not Bel- No, I must not think that. Not when there's still a sliver of hope left…

'_I should have ended my shift earlier. Arghhh! Where is 483 Napier Street? I should-'_

483 Napier Street. All I had to do was to go there and find out all the answers, I thought excitedly.

I drove past this church during the numerous times that I drove Bella home, so I knew that it was situated two blocks down the road. I leaped out of Bella's room and ran to the church, all the while making sure that no one would notice me. I perched into the Douglas fir next to the church and started to eavesdrop.

'_What a poor young lady; dying at such a young age, only 18…'_ an old lady thought sadly.

'_How can they pronounce her dead after only one day of searching? And it was_her father_who decided to close his daughter's missing case…She was missing for only 24 hours though…'_

'_I just hope that she's happy in heaven right now. I'll miss you, Isabella Marie Swan. You were the best friend a person could have.'_ I recognized Angela's voice.

It _was_ Bella. How could she have died? Who killed her?

How could Charlie close her missing case so soon? There were only two answers. Either she committed suicide and left him, or someone, a note. Or, he knew about her death beforehand…But he could not have had a hand in her death; he loved her too much, and he would have been killed as soon as she died. He would have done anything to prevent her death.

So…she killed herself? How? Why? When? Where? Why did she have to do that _one day_ before I came here? Of course, she couldn't have known that you were coming back, I thought to myself bitterly. But why? Why now?

If she was so heartbroken after I left, why did she take her own life just now? Not right after I left?

Unless…unless she moved on, but that guy dumped her? And she couldn't survive two heartbreaks in a row? If that was the case, I would torture the guy who dumped her to no end. Make him feel as much pain as possible before I ripped him to shreds.

But then I remember that I had left her too. And that whoever this guy was, he had healed her, before leaving her. Was she beyond repair? Was that the reason why he had given up? Did I leave her in a condition that she would never recover from?

'_Ha! Bella has_finally_died! She was basically a zombie with one foot in hell the day that Edward left. Serves her right for stealing_my_Edward from me!'_ Pictures of Bella moving robotically days after her 18th birthday appeared in her mind. Bella looked…empty, like only her body was there, and her mind and soul had flown away. Her hair wasn't shiny anymore, and there were visible bags under her pained, tired eyes. I noticed that she had lost a lot of weight, too. I cringed at the onslaught of images of the depressed Bella. _'From the day that she set foot in Forks, every boy was after her: Mike, Eric,_my_Tyler, even the untouchable EDWARD CULLEN! Now she finally got the fate that she deserved: burning in hell for eternity.'_ I couldn't listen to her vile thoughts anymore; they were like acid slowly dripping into the vacant spot where my heart used to be.

'_Ahhh…Bella, if you didn't choose to date that asshole Edward Cullen, then you wouldn't have grieved over his leave and immersed yourself into a coma-like state. You should have chosen_me_from the start. And that Jacob Black! He comforted you, but he seems creepy to me. Who knew what he had up his sleeve?'_

Jacob Black. Black. That seems oddly familiar. Wait…wasn't Ephraim Black the person with whom we had made the boundary treaty seventy years ago? Jacob Black…was his descendent? Then that meant that Jacob was a…werewolf?

As if to confirm my suspicions, a picture of a _very_ tall boy, with olive skin tone and black hair, danced across his mind. _Exactly how a werewolf in human form would look like!_

Too much things were happening. I needed to get away from here, to go somewhere to process all of this new information. I jumped out of the tree and ran.

2 days later, La Push, Washington, 2006

BPOV

I listened closely to my heart's last pounding beat; a sound that I will never hear again. Then, I realized that the pain was gone.

I opened my eyes, and was started by the clarity of everything around me. I could see every minute detail of the objects around me, close and far away. I looked around in amazement, absorbing every insignificant aspect of the things around me.

I took in a lungful of breath. It wasn't necessary, but I could practically taste the room around me.

"Hello Bella," a deep voice said from behind me, startling me; I hadn't realized that someone was also in this room with me. "It seems that you have woken up."

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 4

La Push, Washington, 2006

BPOV

As if acting on instincts rather than common courtesy or experience, I jumped to the nearest wall and wheeled around, growling. All this happened so fast that I was momentarily shocked.

"Whoa Bells!" I saw a muscular guy with short, black hair standing by the door. He stood up, and I noticed that he was very tall, and had tawny skin. Wait, was he speaking to me? I looked around; there weren't anybody beside me. Bells? I felt my eyebrow scrunch up in confusion. He must have seen my confused look because he added, "Bella? Don't you remember me, Jacob?"

Jacob? I scoured every corner of my brain, trying to find memories of Jacob. When I found them, without thinking, I ran to Jacob and engulfed him in a big hug.

Suddenly, I was hit by a wall of wet dog stench. I realized the awful smell was present in the room the whole time, but it wasn't as strong while I was distracted. Now, all I could smell was the fetor. I let go of Jacob and stumbled a few steps back just as three half-naked guys appeared in the room, all in a defensive stance.

"I'm fine," Jacob told them, "Bella's just a bit excited, that's all. It must be somewhat overwhelming to recover so many human memories, right, Bella?"

I nodded woodenly, not really paying attention to the movement. I was busy linking memories to the three new faces, labeling them.

Then I replayed what Jacob said in my mind. "Human memories?" Did that mean that I was no longer human? No longer alive? Dead? Then why were Jacob, Sam, Quil and Embry here with me? How-

"Um, Bella?" Sam cleared his throat, his face a mask of discomfort. "Of course they're _human_ memories, since now, you're no longer a human…" It seemed like he wanted to add something, but decided at the last minute to bite his tongue.

Sam and Jacob exchanged a glance. "Bella, you…you're…a vampire."

What? A vampire?

I should have been happy, excited, bouncing for joy. But I wasn't. Before, I only wanted to become a vampire so I could have eternity with Edward. Edward…The name still sent agonizing jolts of pain through my entire body. But now that _he_ was gone, there was no point for immortality. No point in moping on the Earth and killing innocent animals. I should die. I shouldn't deserve to live.

Sam looked at me, taking a deep breath, and then wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Bella, since you are a lee- vampire, you must leave right now. If you kill any human within a 20 miles radius of La Push, then, I'm sorry, but we _will_ have to kill you. You can return to Forks after at least 80 years, but you have to stay far away from La Push."

"Why?"

"Because your kind, blo- vampires, can kill humans, and it is our duty, as shape-shifters – or werewolves – to protect our tribe, and humans. We don't want you close to La Push; there is always a risk."

My mind was spinning like a merry-go-round stuck at full speed, trying to process everything Sam had sad, trying to remain calm. "Jacob, you're…a werewolf?"

Jacob looked at me sheepishly. "Yah, that was why I didn't answer your phone calls. And you should probably leave right now, before Paul…" he trailed off. His eyes, with a hint of the carefully concealed sorrow revealed, concentrated on the carpet.

I got the hint: they wanted me gone a.s.a.p. "Ok…then, bye!" I called as I ran outside without glancing behind.

And why would I look back? They weren't going to welcome me back. They couldn't undo my transformation, couldn't make me a human again.

A forest, Washington, 2006

BPOV

I had been wandering aimlessly in this forest for several days, wondering what I would do with my life now. Where should I go? Should I settle permanently, or be a nomad? Should I go to school, or get a job? These questions swirled in my brain.

Finally, I decided to finish high school first, and then I would try to get a job as a journalist – my dream career.

Russia, 2096

BPOV

It's been 90 years. 90 years since I set foot there. 90 years since _he_ left me. 90 years since my human life ended.

During these 90 years, I made many vampire friends, attended the most prestigious schools, achieved countless degrees, excelled in numerous professions, travelled around the world…

And now, 90 years later, I was going back.

I was going to revisit Forks.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 5

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

Nothing has changed much here, I thought to myself as I drove past the 'Welcome to Forks' sign. The sign was probably a dozen years old, and the paint was starting to chip around the edges.

I felt the wind blow through my glossy brown hair as I swerved in between the myriads sluggish cars on the highway in my new SSC Ultimate Aero T26…It seemed that after my transformation to a vampire, I had taken a liking to fast things: fast cars, fast yachts, fast helicopters…

Since I decided to attend school here, I had one of my 'more normal' – but still showy – cars shipped from my home on Isle Camry, an island we bought a few hundred kilometers to the west of Kalbarri, Australia. Of course, they wanted to come with me to Forks, but I wanted to be alone when the memories would hit me like a tidal wave. I didn't want them to see all the pain that I'd been trying so hard to hide all these years.

_Flashback:_

"_Are you sure you don't want us to come with you to Forks?" Aubrey asked me as soon as I announced my decision. "We could all go to school together, so that you won't be lonely."_

"_I'll be fine, you guys. Seriously, I'm a vampire, and with my gifts, you don't have to worry about anything." I wanted them to enjoy the two years with their partners, without having to worry about me being the fifth wheel._

"_What if there'll be too many human boys hitting on you?" Ryan, Aubrey's mate, grinned, punching my shoulder playfully. "I'll need to be there to protect my little sister!" He reminded me so much of Emmett, except that I knew that Ryan wouldn't abandon me, ever._

"_I'm pretty sure I can handle myself, Ryan, but thanks anyways." I turned to the four vampires, "You guys, I'll visit you as soon as I can, maybe even during the first weekend—"_

"_Really?" Yasmine started bouncing up and down. "Fine, if you_promise _that you're going to visit, then we might not stalk you halfway across the globe."_

_I sighed, "Yes, I promise to visit as soon as possible. Happy?"_

"_Very! Now, you'll need to start packing right away!" Yasmine started squealing non-stop. "I'll help you pick out your new wardrobe, since you'll need new clothes for Forks. Come on, Aubrey! We need to go to Europe to shop. How about Milan or Paris? Or should we go somewhere else? There's a new fashion show in New York starting in 30 minutes. I heard that the top designers in America had their collections there! We must go! I have 3 tickets, thank God – or me! And makeup, not that you'll need that, Marie, but still, if you meet some cute guy, or vampire, you would want to look your best, right? And the accessories too! But we'll decide about that later. Right now, we must get to that fashion show!"_

_End of Flashback_

I frowned, remembering how Aubrey and Ryan told me not to buy a house in Forks, though we had heaps upon heaps of money. They told me there was a surprise waiting for me and gave me basic driving instructions. Great. Surprises. I was just _so thrilled_.

Soon, the car was headed up a smooth driveway. As I looked in front of me, time seemed to stop. A charming cottage, the kind that would be imagined in a fairytale, was staring at me. The roof was made up of tiles as dark as ebony, with smoke emanating from the round chimney. It was a striking contrast to the beige outer walls and the windows, rounded at the corners. I fell in love with the cottage immediately.

I was so excited that I decided to surprise them and go back to Isle Camry right away. I made the wind swirl around me, teleporting myself into the living room of our main house on Isle Camry.

Isle Camry, Australia, 2096

BPOV

"Hey you guys!" I said, getting their attention. "I _love_ the cottage! Thank you so much!" I gushed at them.

Yasmine was the first to recover from the shock of seeing me so soon. "Well, your welcome, Marie, it was a gift from all of us to you!" She smiled a huge smile.

"Oh, and besides the ones for us when we visit, we made sure to include a few _extra_ bedrooms, since, you know, if you destroy one beyond repair by accident with your…you know…" Ryan trailed off, pretending to look innocent.

If I'd be able to blush, I would have put a tomato to shame. "Ryan! Well…well, who knows, _you_ might destroy some bedrooms with Audrey when you visit," I finally managed say.

Ryan looked over to Audrey, wagging his eyebrows suggestively.

"Have fun at Forks! And thanks for the idea!" she skipped out the door, giggling.

Ryan followed after her. "And don't forget to come here when too many boys start stalking you!" he called right before he was out of earshot.

Yasmine looked in the direction of their house, sighing. "Well, Marie, I'll glad you liked your new home. But you might want to get some company since you might get lonely. You should really get a mate."

I sighed, "I'll be fine." Yasmine and Audrey had been trying to set me up on dates for who knows how long, but none of the vampires – no matter how hot - felt like my other half. Yasmine and Audrey both wanted me to find my mate, so that I could be as happy as them, and we could finally go on triple dates.

"I can't really _get a mate_, Yasmine, and I think my mate and I find each other soon enough, when fate—"

She cut me off. "You're always saying fate this, fate that. Well what if your mate is also like you? I wouldn't be surprised…_You_ have to be proactive! If you're not going on dates in your own free will, then I _will_ personally drag you to clubs and dates _each week_. So, your choice!"

I gulped. "OK, I'll go to the clubs, but _after_ the first week of school, happy?"

She grunted, "Fine, but you'll have to mean it!"

"Yes, I promise."

"OK," she seemed satisfied, for the moment. "Anyways, you should go back now; school starts in just under a day! Have fun!"

"Yes, _fun_. Bye!" I waved to Cobi, Yasmine's mate, and gave Yasmine a hug.

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

After I hunted, showered, changed into cuter clothes - courtesy of Audrey – and put on some makeup, I walked to my Lamborghini Gallardo J7 and started the engine.

I didn't listen to any songs as I drove to school, preferring to admire the lush green landscape. It saddened me that many trees were cut done, due to over-logging.

I arrived early, so I parked in one the parking spaces closer to the school. I cut the engine and walked into the office.

"Hi, my name is Marie Camry. I've come to pick up my schedule," I told a frizzy-haired woman.

"Of course, here it is, and here is your keycard, which you will slide in a slot for you to enter the classroom. Have a nice day."

As I walked out of the office, I wondered how many guys would approach me today. I chuckled to myself, smiling.

_That_ was when I smelled them.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 6

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

I could sense 6 different fragrances, only a few minutes old. They probably couldn't smell me yet, and I had no intention of meeting them, so, using one of my gifts **(A/N: go to the bottom of the page to learn more about Bella's gifts)**, I replaced my sweet, vampire smell with a human one, changed my eye color from golden to hazel, 'created' a heartbeat, and made my skin seem less pale **(A/N: Of course, these are all just illusions)**. Of course, I made myself look extra beautiful; it would be fun to watch all the boys' reactions. I doubted the secretary would notice these differences, so I strode confidently to my first class, English.

I slid my card into the slot, noting that this teacher's name was Mr. Toole, and opened the door.

The teacher looked up, surprised to see a student arrive this early for class. "W-w-well, Miss—" he stuttered.

"Miss Camry." I replied.

"Well, yes, Miss Camry. Normally, I wouldn't allow a student to come into my classroom so early, but, for you, I'll make an exception." His eyes glinted with lust, looking at my cleavage.

"Erm," I tried not to gag out loud; this man was well over 50 years old. "Thanks, Mr. Toole."

He abandoned whatever work he was doing, and stepped forward. "You must be a new student, how are you adjusting?" He tried to make his voice seductive, but failed miserably.

"Very well, thank you."

"If you need any help, please feel free to ask." _Of course I will ask_ you, I thought sarcastically.

Thankfully, at that moment, two students walked in, chatting about their summer holidays. I took that opportunity to escape Mr. Toile's hungry eyes and settled myself in one of the tables at the back of the room.

Most the students who walked in barely noticed me; they were too busy talking with their friends. Soon, every table was filled, except for mine. I prayed that there weren't any other students in this class.

But just as the bell rang, a beautiful blond strolled into the room, and sat right beside me. Everyone's gazes followed her, probably cursing themselves mentally for not have an empty seat beside them. Then their gazes flashed to me, and they started whispering.

"I heard that there were new people in town."

"Yah, the Cullen's and the Hales."

I froze. The Cullen's and the Hales?

"That blond…WOW!"

"I know, and that brunette beside her, I think that she's prettier than the blond."

"No, I think they're tied."

"Whatever, do you want to bet who can get one of them on a date first?"

"Sure, 20 bucks and you're on!" They shook hands.

I chuckled silently, wondering if the blond beside me had a boyfriend. I turned towards her, "Hey, my name's Marie Camry, what's yours?"

She looked at me, as if I were the mud under her Gucci boots. "I'm Rosalie, Rosalie Hale," she replied icily.

I leaned back on my chair. Rosalie Hale. Rosalie Hale. That meant that the Cullen's were back. Every one of them. Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice and…_Edward_. But there was a new scent. Did they recently 'adopt' another vampire?

Class started at that moment, but I didn't really pay attention. I was too busy pondering about my bad luck: I come back to Forks and start school just as all of the Cullen's come back. I wondered if I should drop out of school and go back to Australia. No, I decided, I wasn't a coward. I wouldn't let a bunch of vampires that left me 91 years ago chase me out of Forks. I'll just pretend that they don't exist. Yes, that's it.

The rest of the morning past uneventfully, and I didn't have any more vampires in my classes, which I was glad for. A lot of boys approached me, thinking they'd have a chance since I didn't have a boyfriend, but I turned each of them down, internally laughing each time.

Soon, it was lunchtime. I decided to go back to my car, avoiding the disgusting human food and all the boys who didn't have a chance to ask me out yet. I didn't want to listen to any music, but decided to eavesdrop on the Cullen's' conversations.

"Hey, I heard that there's a Marie Camry that's new here. Did you guys meet her?" I recognized Alice's cheerful voice.

"Oh, _her_," Rosalie sad as if she were tasting some repulsive human food "Yah, she was in my first period English class. Why?"

"It's just that I really want to meet her, but she wasn't in any of our classes!" There was a pause. "Or in this cafeteria."

"Why would you want to meet her? You don't need another shopping buddy, do you? Besides, she's almost inhumanly beautiful, though I heard a heartbeat. Why would you want to get to know a human, _again_? We don't need the risk of exposure, _again_."

"If you're talking about…Bella," I flinched, while recognizing _Edward's_ voice, "then you're wrong. She wasn't going to tell anybody."

"How can you be so sure? Or are you just protecting her? Protecting the dead?" Rosalie spit back.

"What? Who?" There was a new female voice. "Protecting who, Edward?"

"Never mind, love, it isn't important." Edward was calling her _love_? Soothing her?

"Oh yes it is, Edward," Rosalie said. "She needs to know that you spent _decades_ moping around for her!"

Decades? For me? Curiosity got the better of me and I raced back to the cafeteria, entering inconspicuously. I walked over to a table where I was sure they wouldn't be able to see me.

I spotted a new vampire, sitting on Edward's lap. I growled, though hopefully not loud enough for them to hear me.

"Decades?" Her voice was really high pitched, irritating. "Is that true Eddie?" Ugh, I thought that I was going to puke.

"Well, yes, it was true, but now I have you, love," he said softly, stroking her hair. I was trying really hard to keep my jealousy under control, but I noticed Jasper looking very uncomfortable, and Edward shrugging in his direction.

She turned around and kissed him. No, it was more like a hot make out session. My jealousy flared out, knocking Jasper over. I saw Alice trying to comfort him, whispering soothing words.

Then, abruptly, Edward stopped kissing the new vampire, his gaze sweeping over the cafeteria, and zeroed in on me.

**Bella's Powers:** (she can affect as many people for as long as she wants)

**Mind Shield** (just like the one in Breaking Dawn)

**Strong Illusionist:** can affect all 5 of your senses:

- sight (which includes her becoming invisible)

- smell = remove/replace/mix smells

- touch

- taste

- sound

She can also make you feel whatever emotion she wants you to feel (it's only an illusion, though)

**She can teleport**

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 7

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

As his topaz eyes bore into my 'hazel' ones, I immediately dropped my gaze; a knee-jerk reaction. After a few seconds, I risked a glance in his direction. He was still staring at me, with a slight frown of frustration on his face.

"Eddie," the squeaky voice whined. "What are you looking at?" Then she followed his gaze to me, and smirked. She walked over, her sickly sweet vampire smell making me want to retch. I wondered how Edward or any of the Cullens could stand to be around her. She leaned down, fake pity in her eyes. "I'm sorry, but he's _my_ boyfriend, and soon-to-be fiancé. Don't try to steal him 'cause you'll regret it." Her voice had dropped to a low, menacing growl. Then she sauntered back to the Cullen's table, seeming satisfied with herself.

"Bitch," I muttered, knowing that she could hear me.

EPOV

I was back in Forks, and it was the first day of school. I tried to forget all the painful memories I had here, but unfortunately, my vampire mind wasn't capable of forgetting.

I guess that I was glad that I had Jennifer in most of my classes; there wouldn't be countless girls trying to flirt with me. Though I knew that I loved her, I was sometimes annoyed with Jennifer. Sometimes I just wished that she was more…well…more like _Bella_.

Alice had met Jennifer at a shop at the mall a few years ago, and brought her over to our house. Carlisle and Esme had to drag to the living room, telling me that I should stop being a recluse, and be a gentleman again. But as soon as I saw her face though, for the first time in decades, I felt_ attracted_ to somebody. My heart didn't belong with her, though; it belonged to Bella.

We had progressed slowly, and it was kind of getting on her nerves. But she was convinced that I was going to propose to her this Christmas.

"Hey, I heard that there's a Marie Camry that's new here. Did you guys meet her?" Alice asked us. _'She seems somehow…familiar…though I'm sure I've never seen her before. I just have that_feeling_…"_

"Oh, _her_," Rosalie answered sourly "Yah, she was in my first period English class. Why?" I saw an image of a beautiful girl in her mind. Wow, she couldn't be human, could she?

"It's just that I really wanna meet her, but she wasn't in any of our classes!" Alice scanned the crowds. "Or in this cafeteria."

"Why would you want to meet her? You don't need another shopping buddy, do you? Besides, she's almost inhumanly beautiful, though I heard a heartbeat. Why would you want to get to know a human, _again_?" There was a picture of Bella in Rosalie's mind. "We don't need the risk of exposure,_ again_."

I gritted my teeth. "If you're talking about…Bella," it still hurt to say _her_ name, "then you're wrong. She wasn't going to tell anybody," I defended _her_.

"How can you be so sure?" _'You can't even read her mind!'_"Or are you just protecting her? Protecting the dead?"

'_WHAT? Is he keeping something from me? Edward…'_ "What? Who?" Jennifer asked, her worry mixing with jealousy. "Protecting who, Edward?"

"Never mind, love, it isn't important." I whispered in her ear. I moved her onto my lap, rocking her gently.

"Oh yes it is, Edward. She needs to know that you spent _decades_ moping around for _her_!" Rosalie was smug.

'_WHAT? EDWARD! HOW DARE YOU!'_ "Decades?" _'Why didn't you tell me about this?'_She took a deep breath, "Is that true Eddie?"

"Well, yes, it was true, but now I have you, love," I said softly, stroking her hair. _'Oh, I supposed that's OK…'_

I noticed Jasper squirming in his chair. _'Edward, somebody is REALLY jealous, and it doesn't seem to be Jennifer…'_ I looked at him, and shrugged.

Jennifer turned around and kissed me. Her tongue requested entrance, and I granted it. Soon, I was _almost_ lost in the kiss. **(A/N: he was**_**almost**_**lost in the kiss because he wasn't kissing Bella. And if I had written that he was**_**completely**_**lost in the kiss, you guys would probably have killed me…)**

Then suddenly Jasper fell out of his chair. _'WHAT WAS THAT? Wow, that amount of jealousy…'_ Alice immediately got out of her chair and began rubbing circles on Jasper's arm, murmuring loving words.

As my eyes swept over the humans in the cafeteria, I spotted the Marie Camry that Alice and Rosalie were talking about.

When my eyes met hers, she dropped her gaze, an instinctive human reaction. I tried to hear her thoughts, but was greeted by silence. Strange. I listened more carefully, but still, I could hear nothing. After a moment, she raised her head, looking in my direction nervously.

"Eddie," Jennifer whined. "What are you looking at?" She then followed my gaze, seeing Marie Camry. _'Oh, she's pretty, but she's only a mere human compared to me, a glorious immortal. And she's interested in_my boyfriend_?'_ She thought it like I was a piece of property. _'Well, I'll show her!'_

Jennifer's POV

How dare she? Fantasize about _my_ boyfriend – and fiancé, I corrected myself. I walked slowly over to her table. How sad, she was sitting alone. I made my voice sound dangerous, "I'm sorry, but he's _my_ boyfriend, and soon-to-be fiancé. Don't try to steal him 'cause you'll regret it." I walked back to our table, not giving her a chance to respond – not that she will; she's too pretty to be smart.

"Bitch." I heard her say. She probably thought that I couldn't hear her. Well, this was her _un_lucky day.

I turned around, my eyes black with fury. "What did you say?" I hissed.

She raised an eyebrow. "I said bitch. You. Are. A. Jealous. Bitch." She pronounced each word carefully.

BPOV

It felt good saying those words to her. She lifted a hand, preparing to slap me. But instead of recoiling, I just smiled, and decided to play a bit with her.

"YOU—" But before she could finish, she shrieked in pain.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 8

Forks, Washington, 2096

Jennifer's POV

One minute I was standing in the school cafeteria, preparing to slap the plastic-surgery-enhanced-boyfriend-stealer, then suddenly everything became black and I was in pure agony. It felt as if I had gone swimming in gasoline and then I walked straight into a raging fire. I couldn't remember where I was, why I was here…I couldn't grasp onto any memories. I felt myself slowly slipping into an imminent black hole…

EPOV

As I heard Jennifer's ear-splitting cry, I rushed to her side, frantic.

"Love? What's wrong?" I yelled, panicked.

"Love…" I turned to see a smirk pop up on Marie's face. She said it in a mocking tone. "_Love…_" she twisted the word over and over again. "_Love, love…_"

As I looked into her eyes, I just couldn't bring myself to say the things in my head, couldn't bring myself to say anything mean to her. It was like there was I special quality about Marie that I couldn't put my finger on. **(A/N: Btw, this is an example of how Bella and Edward are**_**soul**_**mates: their souls recognize each other even if their heads don't. LOL…)**

I glanced around the room, surprised that no one had heard Jennifer's screeches; it was loud enough to wake the dead **(…)**.

Maybe the humans' ears were too dull to pick up Jennifer's screams. Maybe my family had heard it; I peered into their thoughts.

'_I hope Jazz is OK…What was that? I didn't see it coming…'_

'_It's the first day of school and our History teacher gives us enough homework for 2 weeks! I'm just glad that I work at vampire speed…But oh, no! Then that means no—"_ I quickly skipped out of Rosalie's mind, narrowly avoiding her graphic memories.

'_I can't wait for that new game to come out! Wait, Rosie looks upset, maybe we can—"_

Apparently, none of my family members had heard anything unusual. Had I gone crazy? _Could_ vampires lose their minds? I would ask Carlisle later…

I was jolted out of my thoughts as Marie tapped me on my forearm. There was this strange sizzle of electricity as her finger touched my bare skin. It brought with it a kind warmth that made me fell whole, complete. Suddenly, as if she had also felt the spark of electricity, she jerked her hand away and looked down, so I could only see that she was frowning. I instantly missed the warmth, longed for our skin to be touching, so that I could feel complete.

Wait, did I just think that? How can this be happening? Why? Why did I feel this…this…_need_ to be with a human when I was in a stable relationship?

Then the rational part of my brain formed a logical explanation for what just happened: of course I would miss the warmth because since she was a human, her body temperature would be naturally warmer than mine. When our skin touched, she immediately felt the coldness of mine and pulled her hand away, confused. And the spark of electricity was the product of my skin finally feeling something warm in a long time, and I needed warmth to fell complete.

I was so relieved that there was a rational explanation that I could have started doing cartwheels around the cafeteria, singing silly songs, but I took a few deep breaths and controlled myself.

BPOV

I made sure that only Edward and I could hear the shrieks. He rushed over, looking to make sure that she wasn't hurt or anything.

"Love? What's wrong?" He seemed genuinely worried about his 'girlfriend'.

Of course he would move on, spend the rest of his existence with his mate, enjoying his distractions. I wasn't good enough for him when I was human, but now I was a vampire, his equal. I was beautiful, just like him. But it wouldn't make a difference, because he told me that he didn't love me, never really loved me at all. I was just a mere human whose feelings he had played with.

"Love…" I sneered at him. "_Love…love, love…"_ Was she his mate? Probably not, or else he would have ripped me to pieces – not that he could, I thought wryly. She was probably just another victim to his manipulation. I suddenly felt a surge of pity for this vampire; soon, he would discard her, just like he had discarded me.

I thought that he was a gentleman; I thought that he wouldn't intentionally hurt others. But I was wrong, I was always wrong. He had me twisted around his fingers, just like dozens of other girls, or vampires, were twisted around his fingers.

How had I let him into my heart, which had shattered into millions of unrecognizable pieces when he left? How? It was his stupid dazzling powers, I knew it! I should have never looked into his eyes, because as soon as I did, I would lose my sanity. I would never look into his eyes, I promised to myself, I would never let him rule me ever again.

Could I spend to rest of the school year knowing that he was just a few hundred meters away? Knowing that he was with another vampire? Another vampire whose heart he will break? I just had to know if we had any blocks together. I would ask him.

I sighed; I knew that this was just an excuse for me to talk to him. Because despite everything, despite everything he put me through, I knew that deep down, I still loved Edward.

"Edward?" I squeaked, stealing a glance at his perfect face. His expression was blank. "Edward?" Still no response. I tapped his arm to get his attention, out of habit.

Then, just like the many times 91 years ago, there was a spark of electricity where I touched him. I yanked my hand away, surprised, and somewhat scared; why didn't this feeling fade after almost a century? What could it mean?

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 9

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

Just then, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. I jogged to my next class, Biology, while deciding to free the _poor_ vampire from the illusions.

I was the first to arrive in the classroom, well before any other human – or vampire. As I looked around, I took in a shaky breath: it seemed as if I had gone back in time. Nothing had changed: the walls were a fading yellow with multiple visible cracks, the boards around the classroom were a dull grey, worn and old after decades of use, even the tables and chairs looked exactly like they did 90 years ago. There was no hint of advanced technology in this room.

I looked at the table where _Edward_and I used to sit, and suddenly saw the human Bella laughing, carefree, with a handsome vampire by her side, chuckling. I felt like I was on the outside looking in, which, in truth, I was. Those images were forever locked away, sealed in the most sweetest of vaults. But now, I only felt bitterness, laughing without humor at my past naivety.

I should have listened to him when he said that he was dangerous for me. No, not physically dangerous, I knew that he wouldn't harm me physically, but emotionally, that was another story. The emotional damage that he had caused me outweighed any kind of possible physical harm. If the emotional destruction that I felt when he left could be translated physically, I wouldn't have been humanly recognizable, at all. He left me forever broken in my heart, and it was worse than if I had a broken leg, even worse than if I had ended up in a wheelchair. He should have killed me when he had the chance. And now I couldn't die. I was stuck here forever.

He was right, humans had it so easy. There were so many different options for humans who wanted to commit suicide, but for me, there was none. My friends wouldn't kill me. All the vampires that I knew wouldn't kill me either. The Volturi didn't know about me, and if they did, they would probably have forced me to join their guard.

I sat down at the table where I sat 90 years ago, creating an aura of fear around me, so that nobody would sit next to me. I didn't want anyone to disturb me when I was reminiscing.

I noticed when Edward walked into the room. I averted my eyes, but kept him in my peripheral vision. His eyes glanced at the table where I was sitting, and it seemed like he wanted to sit here, but as soon as he spotted me, he walked to the back of the classroom and plopped down, seemingly upset that I was sitting here. I couldn't decipher his strange behavior.

As our teacher walked in, class started. I was absently jotting down notes as our teacher droned on and on, just in case if he chose to walk by. I thought back to the happier days, when I had believed that he had loved me. He was such a good liar. I wondered how many hearts he would break till the end of time. Probably a few billion, I guessed, one for each year. Would he change some of them? Damn them to an eternity filled with endless misery, heartbreak as soon as he leaves them? I just hoped that some of them would meet their soul mates after they became a vampire. I most likely wouldn't. I sighed. At least I had met new friends who had helped heal me. I was probably luckier than most of the girls, I had more friends than I could ever ask for.

The next class, Art, passed monotonously, and we were assigned an individual project that was due in a week. I would finish it tonight.

Alice was in Math with me, skipping in right after me and settling herself beside me. She repeatedly tried to start a conversation, but I ignored her. I could tell that she was getting really annoyed. I smiled internally; I wondered how she would get me to respond to her.

Finally, the day came to a close. It was the first day of school, and I couldn't stand it anymore. Why did the Cullens have to keep up the human façade? Didn't they have better things to do? I would have never ended up here if they had just stayed home. I would have never ended up here if they had died like they should have, decades ago. I knew that that was mean, but _I_ would have happily died years ago if they didn't exist. I would have a led a normal, human life and died like any other living thing on the face of this Earth. Charlie and Renee would have seen me get married, and I would have had children, grandchildren, but instead, I became a monster, something unnatural. Ugh, it was depressing to think of those things.

As I walked to my car, I turned on the music player. I had converted many songs onto a chip so that they would sound crystal clear even after a few centuries. The song started playing in the middle:

**(Kelly Clarkson – Because of You)**

_Because of you_

_I will never stray too far from the sidewalk_

_Because of you_

_I learned to play on the safe side_

_So I don't get hurt_

_Because of you_

_I find it hard to trust_

_Not only me, but everyone around me_

_Because of you_

_I am afraid_

_I watched you die_

_I heard you cry_

_Every night in your sleep_

_I was so young_

_You should have known better than to lean on me_

_You never thought of anyone else_

_You just saw your pain_

_And now I cry_

_In the middle of the night_

_For the same damn thing_

_Because of you_

_I will never stray too far from the sidewalk_

_Because of you_

_I learned to play on the safe side_

_So I don't get hurt_

_Because of you_

_I tried my hardest just to forget everything_

_Because of you_

_I don't know how to let anyone else in_

_Because of you_

_I'm ashamed of my life because it's empty_

_Because of you_

_I am afraid_

Edward and the vampire walked to their car, their arms wrapped around each other.

"Jennifer, do you want to go out on Saturday night?" His velvet voice murmured in her ear, barely audible. Oh, so her name was Jennifer.

"Sure, honey, where are we going?" I guessed that she was trying to make her voice seductive, except her voice was so squeaky that it made my ears hurt.

How could he stand her? Then I realized that we both had faults: her presence and voice was uncomfortable, and I was too clumsy. Did Edward specially choose girls who had problems? So that he could get them more easily, by feeding their small self-esteem? Somehow, I wasn't _that_ surprised.

"We're not going anywhere, my love." Words were only words to him. "But do dress formally."

Jennifer's excitement was almost tangible. "Ok, I'll have Alice dress me!" Why would anyone in their right mind let Alice dress them willingly? Sure, she could make anyone stunning, but only after _hours_ of torture.

Hmmm…Saturday, at their mansion, maybe I'll pay them a visit…

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 10

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

The days till the weekend passed slowly. School was mostly boring, listening to teachers half my age repeat things that I had already learned dozens of times. I guess I could compare it to a human college student participating in a grade one class every day, pretending to be one of them. Guys would still repeatedly ask me out, and there was this one guy who would follow me everywhere I went, like my shadow. He reminded of Mike Newton.

Finally, Saturday afternoon rolled around. I removed my scent and made myself invisible so that no one would know that I was around. I ran to the Cullen's house and hid myself on the other side of the river, in the trees. I could tell that Edward and Jennifer – it hurt to have an 'and' between their names – were not here, but I saw two unfamiliar vampires set up a table, and set two large champagne glasses on it. There was a romantic feel in the atmosphere.

Then, I realized that it was the vampire version of restaurant-at-home, where waiters would serve people who didn't want to go out to eat. A blond stepped out of a car, adjusting her outfit. She was obviously the waitress, the only one tonight.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. I waited as the other two vampires left, and there was no one in the vicinity. I circled to the other side of the house, and made myself look like Esme.

Then I walked to the waitress. "Hello dear," I said in a warm voice, making myself sound like Esme. She turned towards me. "Well, I'm afraid that we won't need you tonight, I'm sorry, but here's your pay." I handed to her a card; having already placed more than what was necessary on it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, he told me that he had changed his plans. I'm so sorry to disturb you."

"It's OK, and thanks, I guess," she ran down the driveway.

I sighed in relief: the first part of my plan had worked!

I removed my mind shield, and concentrated on my thoughts being normal, so that Edward wouldn't suspect anything. Then I made myself appear exactly like the blond waitress and copied her scent. So far, so good.

There was a table behind the board, where the buckets of blood sat. There was also a chair and a book, The Truth about Vampires. I flipped through the pages, laughing at most of the content. After so many years, the humans still got it all wrong.

I was reading this passage about how to get rid of vampires when I heard a car speed off the highway. The author advised us to pour frog's urine over a vampire's head and rubbing garlic near the vampire's nose while chanting in some weird language. I wondered if the author had factored in a vampire's strength and speed into that formula.

The car turned to the other side of the mansion, presumably so that Jennifer wouldn't see this surprise. I focused on professional, but not suspicion-rising thoughts. I continued reading the book at a slow vampire speed, so that I wouldn't run out of reading material before my plan was successful.

After a few minutes, when Jennifer was busy getting ready for her date, I heard footsteps walk across the Cullen's lawn. Edward appeared in front of me, in a gorgeous black suit. It was difficult to contain my thoughts.

"Hello," he greeted me silkily, "Could you please stand next to the table in 10 minutes?"

"S-s-sure," I stuttered. I assumed that being dazzled was a fairly normal reaction.

He glanced at the book in my hands. "Interesting…" I replayed the book's instruction to kill a vampire in my head. He smiled, "Hmm…Emmett would love to try that one out." He turned around and left.

Jennifer's POV

_Oh My GOD! No, wait a minute, it's OH MY EDWARD! Yes, my Edward. He'll be mine soon, maybe even tonight! He told me to dress formally, so it could be that he'll be proposing! Oh My Edward!_ I couldn't stop bouncing in place.

"Jennifer," Alice chastised, "Stop bouncing, or else your makeup will look horrible! You wouldn't want to look ugly for your date, do you?"

"OK, Alice, I'll try…But I'm so excited! Will he propose?" I squealed.

"I'm not going to look, because I don't want you to know in advance; it'll ruin the surprise! But if you keep shouting that, he'll hear you and he probably won't propose at all!"

"Alice…" I whined, "Please?"

"Nope," she said in a firm voice, twirling the chair around, facing me to the mirror. "Voilà!" she declared in a satisfied tone.

My mouth dropped open: Alice had created a goddess out of me - not that I wasn't goddess material in the first place.

"Thank you, Alice! You're the best!" I shouted to her, sincere.

"You're welcome, Jennifer." Alice hugged me carefully, to not wrinkle my grey halter dress. I hopped down the stairs, right into Edward's arms.

"You're beautiful," he whispered in my ear.

I pulled back to look at him. "You look striking too!"

He pulled me close to him, the sides of our bodies pressed against each other. He opened the front door, and motioned for me to look to the side. I gasped: there was a table with a candle in the middle, with two empty cups. There was also a waitress standing behind it, and I was glad that she wasn't gawking at Edward; her professional smile was also directed at me.

As we sat down, she looked at me, "What kind of blood would you like, Miss?"

"Black bear's blood." She didn't have a notepad.

Then she turned to Edward. "What kind of blood would you like, Sir?"

"Mountain lion's, please," he replied, smiling.

The waitress walked to the board a dozen of yards away, and came black with two snowy white pitchers. She poured the liquid into our cups, pointing at a button near Edward, "Please press this button if you would like a refill."

BPOV

As Edward and Jennifer came walking towards their table, their sides glued to each other, I noticed that Jennifer had this aura around her, almost making people like her. I realized with a start that she had charisma. Perhaps it was her gift? I filed this information away for future use and rearranged my thoughts. Edward didn't look like he had noticed the slip in my thoughts.

I smiled as genuinely as possible at both of them, waiting for them to sit down. "What kind of blood would you like, Miss?"

"Black bear's blood."

I turned towards Edward. "What kind of blood would you like, Sir?"

"Mountain lion's, please," he said with a smile.

I got the bloods requested and walked back to their table. I poured the blood into their cups. "Please press this button," I pointed at a small button at the corner of the table near Edward, "if you would like a refill."

I walked away, leaving them to their meal. I retreated behind the board, and though they didn't have much privacy, with my vampire senses and all, at least I wouldn't have to see them when the blood would awaken their sexual desires. I immersed myself in the stupid book again, wondering when the humans will finally get it right.

As the small light indicating that they wanted refills, I stood up, taking the pitchers for their refills. I hoped that they would be dressed somewhat decently when I would see them. But as I lifted my head as I approached their table, I gasped audibly. Edward's shirt was off, and Jennifer dress had tears in them. They were going to— I couldn't finish my thought, my mind was remembering the chaste kisses Edward and I had shared when I was human.

Edward stiffened immediately and he turned his head towards me, his eyes dark with lust, lust for Jennifer. I knew that he knew now, that it would be useless to pretend, so I dropped every illusion and ran into the forest.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	11. Chapter 11

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

EPOV

Jennifer came bouncing down the stairs, looking stunning. "You're beautiful."

She moved her head back to look at me. "You look striking too."

I pulled her closer to me, and guided her outside. She gasped as she saw the surprise waiting for her. _'How romantic! Thank you Edward! And thank goodness that blond isn't ogling at Edward. He's mine.'_

My gaze was focused on Jennifer as we both took a seat.

"What kind of blood would you like, Miss?" she asked Jennifer first. I was pleasantly surprised; usually waitresses asked me first.

"Black bear's blood." _'Hmm, I heard from Emmett that it tasted the best, so why not try it?'_

She turned towards me, a warm smile on her face. "What kind of blood would you like, Sir?" Her thoughts were focused on the book that she was reading, running through everything she read over and over again at a vampire speed. Odd.

"Mountain lion's, please." I stuck with my favorite kind.

She walked to the board and returned quickly, filling our cups to the brim. I noted that her thoughts revolved around the insignificant book that she was reading at a ridiculously slow pace.

Jennifer gulped down her glass greedily, enjoying the flavor. I started sipping, but the blood tasted too good to savor slowly, so I poured it down my throat.

Before I could process what was happening, I saw Jennifer lunging at me from across the table, knocking the table out of the way. She pounced on me like a hungry feline, and suddenly, she was the predator, and I was the prey. I found myself tearing at her dress. Her hands had unbuttoned my shirt, flinging it behind her head, and now they reached for the waistband of my pants, trying to find the button.

_Wait_, I was trying to form a coherent thought, I couldn't let her go this far. I tried to stop her, but to no avail; the animal in me had won over the gentleman side of me.

Then, I saw the waitress walking towards us, two pitchers in hand. Wait, we didn't call her, did we? I glanced at the table, which was now upside down, the button against the ground. Oh, no! I looked at the waitress just as she sucked in a deep breath, taking in the sight in front of her.

I opened my mouth to speak, to apologize and say that we didn't need more blood, that she could go home, when I heard her thoughts. _'They were going to—'_ Memories of…_me_…kissing her were dancing in her mind. They were fuzzy, indistinct. But why would I kiss a human? My brain was working slower than it ever did. I looked at her again, as if expecting her to divulge answers.

Her golden eyes stared right back at me, seemingly uncovering every corner of my mind. Then abruptly, I couldn't hear her thoughts anymore, and a vampire with mahogany hair was running into the forest.

She knew me. But I wasn't sure I knew her. I wouldn't let her just run away.

Jennifer had gotten around to undoing the button on my pants, oblivious to the waitress's sudden change and disappearance. "Jennifer, I'm so sorry, but Alice is calling me," I thought of a random lie. "How about I make it up to you tomorrow night?" I re-buttoned my pants and slid my arms in my shirt.

"Huh?" She wasn't paying attention to what I was saying. Then finally, when my word had sunk in, she jumped up. "NO! Alice can wait." _'Does he have cold feet about proposing? And we were so close!'_

"No, it's really urgent, I _need_ to go now. I'm so sorry." I leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips, pulling back before she could deepen it.

"But…Edward!" I heard Jennifer shout as I flew across the river. I could sense that she was chasing after me.

The brunette vampire's scent was strong, so I followed her winding trail easily, expecting to catch up to her soon. But after a few minutes, she was still nowhere in sight. As I began to slow down, her scent abruptly vanished. Huh?

I stopped, wondering why I couldn't smell her anymore. I listened closely, trying to hear something that would indicate that she was close by, but I was greeted by ominous silence.

"Edward! Where's Alice?" Jennifer had caught up to me. _'I don't see Alice here. Or maybe he just didn't want to progress to that stage yet. But then that means that he lied to me! How could you, Edward?'_

"I don't know where she is, she told me to meet her here."

'_Edward, don't lie, I smell a foreign scent here.'_ "Alice is not here, so why don't we pick up where we left off?" This time, she out rightly tore my shirt apart, and shredding my pants. Great.

"Edward." This silky, female voice seemed like she was right beside me, "I am quite disappointed in you. You run away from a date, to follow an unknown scent, leaving your _poor_," the sarcasm was evident, "date behind, and now she is forcing herself on you and you do nothing about it." She sighed.

Jennifer growled. "Edward, who is this?"

"Oh, Jennifer, don't worry." The voice changed was now overly-sweet, the voice that teachers use when they talk to 3 year olds. "He'll just leave you in a few months, when he gets tired of you. It's very normal, and you should be glad that I gave you advance notice."

"No! He wouldn't!" Jennifer was shouting at the trees around us, making the animals in the forest scurry back to their homes in fright. "He said that he loves me."

"Oh, but he said that to me too. He told me 'I love you' many times, but that didn't stop him from abandoning me." Her voice held genuine sadness, pain.

"No, I did not," I denied. I had only said 'I love you' to…Bella, and Jennifer. And Bella was dead, gone to heaven.

"Oh yes you did, Edward. Unless, of course, you forgot? But vampires have an infallible memory, remember? You told me that yourself. Or, maybe, you pretend you forgot, just in case you run into one of the girls you had hurt while you were with some other girl. I had never thought of you as a player…You always seemed so…gentlemanly with me, but I guess I was wrong."

"No," I defended myself, "I only said 'I love you' to two people: Bella and Jennifer. No one else."

"And what makes you think that I'm not one of them?"

"Well, because Jennifer is right here with me, and Bella," I choked on her name. "Well, she's in heaven right now."

"What makes you think that she's in heaven right now? How can you be so sure?" She was getting on my nerves.

"Becau—" I didn't finish. I was gaping at her, my mind going blank as soon as I saw the figure stand in front of me.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	12. Chapter 12

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 12

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

I ran into the forest, heading straight for the planned location. I used an illusion to mislead Edward on a curving path that ultimately led to where I waited. I turned invisible, and waited for him.

After a while, Edward appeared, stopping a few yards away, confused as to how 'my' scent had disappeared. I could hear Jennifer approaching; she was fast, almost as fast as Edward.

"Edward? Where's Alice?" Jennifer arrived before her question did. Oh, so that was the lie that he'd fed her.

Edward was still searching for me, his eyes scanning the trees. "I don't know where she is, she told me to meet her here." Suspicion colored Jennifer's eyes as she heard the obvious lie; there wasn't a trace of Alice's scent here.

Jennifer didn't even bother to search for Alice. "Alice is not here, so why don't we pick up where we left off?" Her voice dropped into a low, alluring whisper. Her hands, fast than lightening, ripped away Edward's shirt and pants.

It was extremely difficult to keep up the illusions with Edward standing right there in front of me, half naked. Involuntarily, like he was a magnet, I took a few steps forward, stopping only till I was almost touching him. I was glad that I was still invisible to them. "Edward, I am quite disappointed in you. You run away from a date, to follow an unknown scent, leaving your _poor_ date behind, and now she is forcing herself on you and you do nothing about it." I exhaled loudly. Edward and Jennifer both stiffened, their eyes sweeping the forest for the source of my voice, though they could both hear that I was within a few yards of them.

"Edward, who is this?" Jennifer snarled at an innocuous tree. I laughed quietly at her; how would Edward know?

I changed my voice so that it sounded annoyingly sweet. "Oh, Jennifer, don't worry. He'll just leave you in a few months," or maybe less, "when he gets tired of you. It's very normal, and you should be glad that I gave you advance notice." Something I didn't get.

"No! He wouldn't! He said that he loves me." Could I categorize her as being naïve?

"Oh, but he said that to me too." Just like he will say it to you, someday. "He told me 'I love you' many times, but that didn't stop him from abandoning me." I closed my eyes, trying to control the growing ache in my heart.

"No, I did not," Edward denied, his voice strong, firm, like it was true.

"Oh yes you did, Edward. Unless, of course, you forgot? But vampires have an infallible memory, remember? You told me that yourself. Or, maybe, you pretend you forgot, just in case you run into one of the girls you had hurt while you were with some other girl. I had never thought of you as a player…You always seemed so…gentlemanly with me, but I guess I was wrong." _Very_ wrong.

"No, I only said 'I love you' to two people: Bella and Jennifer. No one else." When he said those words, there was one part of me that wished that it was true, that I was one of the two people to whom he had said 'I love you'. But still, if it were true, it still hurt me that he _had_ truly loved someone else. Someone that wasn't me.

"And what makes you think that I'm not one of them?" Technically, I wasn't _one of them_, since I was human when he told me that he loved me, not a vampire.

"Well, because Jennifer is right here with me," he said, gesturing to Jennifer in her tattered dress, "and Bella, well, she's in heaven right now." Heaven? Yeah right. How could this current situation be called heaven? Or maybe he was speaking about things in a parallel dimension.

"What makes you think that she's in heaven right now?" What's your definition of heaven? "How can you be so sure?"

He started to explain, but I cut him off as I 'transformed' into the human Bella. His eyes were wide with dozens of emotions flashing across his face, almost too fast for me to identify them. I thought I saw traces of shock, confusion, incredulity, and wait…was that regret? It disappeared too quickly for me to be sure.

Then he settled on what I assumed was looking haunted as I jabbed a finger at him. "You," I made my voice rougher, more human, "told me that you loved me, that, I was, quote, 'your life'. But you threw your 'life' away, and left me broken, never to be whole again." His eyes widened, and he was shaking his head from side to side, seemingly not aware of the movement. "You left me as a zombie, a corpse." I transformed myself to the state of the human me a month after my calamitous 18th birthday. "Is that what you wanted? For me to be lifeless robot? For me to take up space and food, and people's concern? Do you realize how hurt Charlie was? Was that your goal from the start?"

"No…no…" Edward kept repeating those words, his voice barely audible. "It can't be…no…how…no…"

Then I made Laurent appear a dozen yards away. Edward let out a low, fervent growl, and began advancing towards the illusion. "Edward." He didn't turn around. "Edward," I said, louder. He paused, but kept his eyes on the illusion. "_That_ was what came for me. Actually, he was sent by _Victoria_," Edward hissed as I said her name, "to locate me, but he decided to spare me Victoria's torture and turn me into a meal for him. But unfortunately, his attack was interrupted, and I was turned. So there, that was what you missed. Really, it wasn't much; just that after you left, I became a zombie, a weak shadow of who I was, I almost got eaten, and then I became a vampire - a disgusting, horrible, abomination. Oh, and should I mention that I had no friends, nobody who I could turn to for help? Nobody to guide me through the first years? Nobody to answer my questions, and be there for me? All thanks to you, Edward."

"No, no," Edward continued mumbling. "It can't be…" His eyes moved to me as the illusion of Laurent disappeared.

"You hurt me! More than you can ever imagine, and that is something I can never forget." I slowly shifted from my human form to my vampire form, with both Edward's and Jennifer's eyes locked on me as I changed.

"Bella? Is that you?" a chorus of muffled voices asked

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 13

Forks, Washington, 2096

BPOV

Four figures emerged from behind the trees, shifting their gazes from me to Edward, in his boxers, to Jennifer, in her torn dress.

"Wow, Eddie, I didn't know you had it in you!" Emmett laughed boisterously, his eyes looking back and forth between Edward and Jennifer.

Alice gave Jennifer a disapproving look, eyeing her ragged dress, but quickly turned her attention to me, running up to me and wrapping me in a tight hug. "Bella! I've missed you so much!" I just stood there awkwardly, wanting to hug my former best friend, but not having the courage to; what if they left me after I'd let them in, again? Alice pulled back after a few seconds, looking at my face, slightly pouting. "Bella? Don't you recognize me? Alice, your best friend?"

I stared down at her, not quite sure of what to say. "Past best friend…" I whispered to the trees. "A best friend who left me…"

"No!" Alice cried, her eyes on Edward. "I didn't want to! But Edward convinced me that it would best for you!"

"Best for me?" I asked incredulously. "Best for me? How would you feel if all of the Cullens, including Jasper, left you? Just like that? Without any kind of notice?" My voice rose. "What if Jasper told you, out of the blue, that he doesn't love you anymore? How would you feel?"

Alice was speechless, opening her mouth, but no sound coming out. Jasper walked forward and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't worry, I won't ever leave you," he murmured in her ear.

Emmett had looked like he wanted to come and hug me, but after my outburst at Alice, he decided to stay away. Wise of him.

Rosalie frowned at Jennifer, ignored Edward, and her eyes locked with mine for a moment before she dropped her eyes to her nails. The emotions in her eyes were a strange combination of disbelief, sadness, pity and frustration.

An uncomfortable silence followed, some of us glancing at each other, while others were fixing their gazes at inanimate objects.

"Maybe we should go back to the house." Alice spoke, her voice oddly timid. "Bella, do you want to join us?"

I glanced at the six of them before nodding my head once. We took off in the direction of the Cullens' mansion, everyone running in pairs except for me. As we leaped over the river, Emmett let out a whistle as he saw the overturned table.

We filed into the living room, each couple sharing a loveseat, while Edward and Jennifer headed upstairs to change into other clothes. They returned as I took a seat on a couch. Every pair of eyes looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to speak, to explain.

Finally, the silence was broken as Jennifer sighed impatiently. "You were Bella Swan, the dumb human that Edward pretended to fall in love with before he ditched you, right?" she sneered at me. "Then he found me, his true soul mate," she gestured to herself. "Our wedding will be in the New Year, and I'll invite you, because I am nice, so that you can say a proper goodbye to Edward before you witness him become mine, officially."

EPOV

As Jennifer finished speaking the words, Bella froze, but only for a second. Her eyes met each of ours for a fraction of a second, maybe looking for something, but finding nothing. Then she darted out of the house, leaving us stunned. The thoughts of the vampires around me were a hushed buzz, not knowing what to do.

Only one voice stood out.

It was loud, screaming at me. I recognized it as Rosalie's. _'Go after her, you idiot! Seriously, what the hell are you waiting for? Go! Why are you still sitting next to that bitch?'_ Rosalie started stomping towards me, preparing to push me out of the house.

I got up slowly, wondering if this was the right decision. Why was I leaving Jennifer to chase after…Bella? From a logical point of view, it didn't make any sense, but now that I placed the words in that order, the answer seemed as obvious as 2 1.

I raced out the front door, going as fast as my legs would allow me.

I followed her scent for a long time, maybe an hour or two. We were now in Canada, somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

After a few more minutes, I could see her sitting against a large tree, eyes closed, facing a crystal clear lake. The whole scenery was breath-taking, but it surprised me that I found that she was more beautiful than the vast woods, the majestic mountains, and the turquoise lake all put together. As the sunlight touched on her skin, she sparkled like an angel.

At that moment, I couldn't understand why I was with Jennifer, why I had put up with Jennifer for these years.

I walked quietly till I was a few feet away from her, facing her. "Bella?" I asked hesitantly.

Her eyes flew open, and they narrowed as she saw me. "Why are you here?"

"I followed you here, Bella." It was strange saying her name now; I'd been avoiding thinking any thoughts about her for decades.

"Why aren't you with Jennifer now, sucking faces, or doing whatever you were doing before I interrupted?" Her voice was cold, but a strand of hurt wove through her words.

Why? _Because…Rosalie told me to follow you._ That excuse was a pathetic, but what else could I say? Why had I listened to Rosalie, of all people? I looked at the ground, whispering, "I don't know."

"Seriously, Edward!" Bella threw her arms up in frustration. "Why can't you just…_stick with your decisions_? You told me that you loved me, and then you said that that was a lie and you abandoned me. Then now you're with Jennifer, and you leave her to chase after me!" She looked at me then, trying to communicate something with her eyes.

"But I left to protect you!" I averted my gaze.

"What?" She blinked; she seemed to be expecting a totally different answer.

"Bella," I said her name softly, "I left you because I wanted you to live a normal, happy human life. I didn't want you to be in danger because of what I am. I didn't want an angel like you to be risking your life every second that you were exposed to my world. I wanted your life to turn out the way it was supposed to turn out, without any interference from the supernatural." I looked into her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bella, more sorry than you can ever imagine. I never realized the mess that I was leaving behind. I thought that I was protecting you, not putting you in more danger. I know you probably won't forgive me, but at least I hope that you understand my side of the story."

Bella was quiet for a long time, and once again, I was wondering what she was thinking. "I need a moment to think through everything." She got up and ran off.

I decided to head back home; knowing that I'd have to face all of Jennifer's demanding questions when I got back. It was strange that I could identify Jennifer's flaws here, away from her. It didn't make any sense…Or maybe I was just imagining things.

When I was within a few miles of the house, Alice's thoughts attacked me like a bomb: _'Jennifer is gone!'_

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 14

Forks, Washington, 2096

Alice's POV

I smiled as Jennifer bounded down the stairs into Edward's waiting arms. Their evening would be perfect if my visions were to be trusted.

I suddenly felt a pair of warm arms around my waist. I turned around just as Jasper leaned down, our lips touching softly. My lips curved up at the edges, and I slowly pulled away.

"What do you want to do tonight, darling?" Jasper whispered in my ear, his voice seductive.

"I saw us watching a movie, cuddled on our bed." I took one of his hands in mine, and skipped into our room. I pulled out a random movie, knowing that we wouldn't be paying much attention to the movie tonight.

At first I just leaned into Jasper chest, trying half-heartedly to concentrate on the movie, but after I while, I gave up. I let the movie continue running as I turned to face him, closing the distance between our lips. Our tongues danced, together, not fighting for dominance.

Abruptly, I was no longer in my room; instead, I was in a forest full of shadows everywhere. I saw Edward and Jennifer, their clothes torn, and they were looking for something, someone.

Then I was back in the comforting arms of my husband. "Alice? What did you see?" His voice was anxious, yet calm at the same time.

"Edward…and Jennifer aren't where they're supposed to be. They're going to be in a forest looking for something or someone, but I don't know where. We should call Rosalie and Emmett, just in case we're up against forces stronger than us."

Jasper nodded solemnly; he didn't want me in any sort of danger. "Rosalie? Emmett?"

They appeared in our room after a few seconds, both looking confused. Rosalie also looked annoyed. "What?"

As I explained my vision to them, Emmett seemed thrilled; probably hoping for a real fight. Rosalie, on the other hand, looked at me with disbelief. "What? You want me to risk my life for _Jennifer_?" she said Jennifer's name like it was an expletive.

"No, not risk, it's just a precaution," I assured her, though I knew that it wouldn't pacify her.

"Still! You want me to waste my time for _her_? Are you out of your mind?"

Emmett looked at his wife. "Rose," he said soothingly. "Please?"

I saw a flash of a sleek new car in the garage. "Rose? Please?" I begged, using my saddest puppy dog eyes. "I'll give you the new car you want."

"Fine," she grumbled.

We ran out of the house, following Edward and Jennifer's trail. It twisted and turned until finally, I put my hands out to stop everyone. I placed a finger on my lips and listened closely, peeking through the bushes.

I saw Bella, human, materialize out of the thin air. I heard a gasp from somewhere around me; she didn't look a day older than 18.

"You told me that you loved me," She stabbed her finger at Edward, who was trembling slightly. "That, I was, quote, 'your life'. But you threw your 'life' away, and left me broken, never to be whole again. You left me as a zombie, a corpse." She transformed into a Bella that I would have had trouble recognizing: eyes dead, face lifeless, hair limp, weight loss… "Is that what you wanted? For me to be lifeless robot? For me to take up space and food, and people's concern? Do you realize how hurt Charlie was? Was that your goal from the start?"

From the way his lips moved, I could tell that Edward was repeating 'No, no…' though I could not hear it.

Suddenly, Laurent appeared a few dozens yards away from where I stood. Edward shifted into a crouch and began stalking Laurent. "Edward. Edward!_That_ was what came for me. Actually, he was sent by _Victoria_," I heard someone hiss, "to locate me, but he decided to spare me Victoria's torture and turn me into a meal for him. But unfortunately, his attack was interrupted, and I was turned." That meant that Bella was alive now! I wanted to rejoice, to hug her. I wanted to have my best friend back. "So there, that was what you missed. Really, it wasn't much; just that after you left, I became a zombie, a weak shadow of who I was, I almost got eaten, and then I became a vampire - a disgusting, horrible, abomination. Oh, and should I mention that I had no friends, nobody who I could turn to for help? Nobody to guide me through the first years? Nobody to answer my questions, and be there for me? All thanks to you, Edward," she said the words bitterly.

Then Laurent disappeared within a second.

"You hurt me! More than you can ever imagine, and that is something I can never forget." The human Bella began changing into a vampire Bella. She looked even more beautiful than my visions had predicted, over 90 years ago.

I glanced at Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. "Bella? Is that you?" we said in unison.

I barely noticed Emmett as he said something, laughing. I was a little disappointed at Jennifer for ruining her dress, but I let that pass. I ran up to Bella and gave her a hug, now no longer worried about controlling my strength. "Bella! I've missed you so much!" But Bella didn't hug me back; instead, her arms hung at her sides, her eyes looking at the trees around us. Did she not recognize me? "Bella? Don't you recognize me? Alice, your best friend?"

She didn't respond for a few seconds, but when she did, I felt as if someone had punched me, hard. "Past best friend… A best friend who left me…"

"No!" I glared murderously at Edward. "I didn't want to! But Edward convinced me that it would best for you!"

"Best for me?" Her voice was layered with disbelief. "Best for me? How would you feel if all of the Cullens, including Jasper, left you? Just like that? Without any kind of notice? What if Jasper told you, out of the blue, that he doesn't love you anymore? How would you feel?"

Is that what Edward told her, that he didn't love her anymore? How could he? No wonder Bella was so resentful. And then I tried to picture myself in her shoes, and my heart felt crushed, pulverized. I felt Jasper attempt to control my emotions before they became out of control.

"Don't worry, I won't ever leave you." Jasper's arms were around me, and his words rang with sincerity.

A long silence ensued, with nobody wanting to break it. "Maybe we should go back to the house." I didn't recognize my mouse-like voice. "Bella, do you want to join us?"

We ran back to the house wordlessly. I wondered when and if Bella would forgive me. It was all Edward's fault! If he didn't leave her, and just followed my first vision, Bella would have joined our family decades ago! I would have had my best friend, and she would not have felt scared, alone, during those first years. Edward could be so stubborn sometimes, too stubborn for his own good! I could not even start to guess how she managed after she went through the transformation.

"You were Bella Swan," Jennifer's voice, full of contempt, dragged me back to the present, "the dumb human that Edward pretended to fall in love with before he ditched you, right? Then he found me, his true soul mate," she waved a hand at herself. "Our wedding will be in the New Year, and I'll invite you, because I am nice, so that you can say a proper goodbye to Edward before you witness him become mine, officially."

It felt as if I was glued to my seat, unable to move, as I watched Bella bolt from our house, with Edward chasing her after an almost-literal push from a very irritated Rosalie.

I couldn't understand why I couldn't speak, couldn't defend Bella or stop Jennifer's hurtful string of words. I knew that what Jennifer said was untrue, since I'd witnessed firsthand how lifeless Edward was after he left Bella and I didn't see even the _hint_ of a wedding between Edward and Jennifer any time soon, but why couldn't I just stand up against Jennifer? Conquer the force that was stopping me from doing the right thing?

I saw Jennifer leaving a fraction of a second before it happened. She got up and strolled out, ignoring Emmett when he asked her where she was going. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Rosalie shoot a disgusted look at her husband.

Worried, I scanned her future. I exhaled in relief as I saw that she was only going to the Denalis. I settled into Jaspers arms, closing my eyes; it had been such a long day in some ways.

I vaguely noticed when the sky began to lighten, when dawn began to filter into the house. I sighed: it was Monday again, and we would have to go to school soon.

Then suddenly, a vision hit me. It was so powerful, so clear, that it would have knocked me to the floor if I was standing.

Jennifer was going to the Volturi, and Aro would touch her hand.

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	15. Chapter 15

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 15

Jennifer's POV

Why was Edward running after her? Why didn't he stay with me? Was it because of Ice Queen Rosalie? Ha! I doubted that: Edward never liked Rosalie much.

Then why? I searched for a reason that would make Edward leave me, without explanations.

I became horrified as my mind processed the next justification: what if he didn't love me? No! I tried futilely to reject that explanation, to push it out of my brain completely, but a practical part of my mind made several things click with this painful theory: why Edward had always changed subjects when 'Bella' was mentioned, why he'd never let things go further than French kissing, why he hadn't proposed to me yet…

_Could she be right?_ I turned that question over and over in my head, looking for a way to contradict it. _What if she was right?_ I needed someone else's opinion on this. Someone unbiased. Someone like…Tanya.

As I stood up, Emmett reached out and grabbed my arm, asking me where I was going, almost demanding my answer. I brushed him off, heading straight for the Denali Clan.

After I parked one of the Cullens' electric planes in the Denalis' garage, I walked to their front door, pausing on their porch. I took a few unnecessary deep breaths. I couldn't understand why I was nervous; there really wasn't anything for me to worry about. I knocked three sharp knocks and waited.

"Jennifer!" Tanya greeted me as she swung open the door. She enveloped me in a warm hug. "It's been so long!" her words were muffled against my shirt. Then she glanced behind me. "Where's Edward? Why didn't he come with you?"

I sighed. Though I knew this conversation was inevitable, I had hoped, albeit uselessly, that it would come up later. I walked into the living room, taking a seat on one of the leather couches.

"That's the reason why I'm here, actually." I sighed again.

Tanya began jumping to conclusions. "Did he cheat on you? How dare he! I swear the next time that I see him, he'll regret—"

"Stop," I raised my hand. "No, he did not cheat on me." Then I thought about everything that had happened. "Well, not yet, anyway," I added more quietly. Tanya waited patiently. "I came to seek your opinion."

I told her everything that had happened during the past week, from Marie Camry, to my date on Saturday night, to 'Bella' suddenly running out of our house. Tanya listened to everything I had to say, nodding at some places, but never interrupting me.

"I'm not sure what to make of this," Tanya finally muttered, her eyebrows pulled down in concentration and confusion. "I'm guessing that you don't know much about this Bella."

"Yes," I agreed. "I guess you could say I am utterly confused about 'Bella'."

"Ok, I think that you need to know the whole story." Tanya sat on a couch opposite to mine, and her eyes were distant. "Over ninety years ago, Edward was in a relationship with a human – Bella. The Cullens told us that he loved her very much, but that he felt that she was constantly in danger because of him, especially when Jasper almost attacked Bella because of a tiny paper cut. So Edward left her.

"During the many visits we paid the Cullens after he was no longer with Bella, Edward was a total wreck: he would never leave his room, he would ignore everyone, he would only hunt a few times per year…

"At that time, I still hadn't found Matt yet, and I thought that this phase would pass for Edward, and I comforted him. I had wanted him to realize that there was world for him besides Bella, which in my mind, was me." She laughed at herself. "I now know that he loved Bella more than I could ever imagine." She looked at me then. "But now he's found you! You've cured him!"

Then her expression changed, and she ducked her head before I could identify what new emotion was. "But now you say that Edward has followed Bella, and I'm not sure what that could mean. There are two possibilities: either he's going after he to tell her that he's sorry for leaving, but that he loves you more, or, he realizes that she is truly his soul mate, that you were only a…_distraction_, and…_abandons you_. I'm sorry, but that's all I can come up with right now."

I nodded. "Thank you, Tanya, for listening."

"You're welcome. You do know that I'll always be there for my little sister, right?" She grinned at me.

I grinned back. "Of course."

"Will you be staying here for a while?"

"Uh…no." I watched as her face dropped. "I'll visit soon," I promised quickly. "But I got to keep up this stupid human charade called _school_," I grimaced, and Tanya laughed.

"Ok, see you soon!" She led me to the doorway and gave my shoulder a squeeze.

I waved as I hopped into the plane's cockpit. "Bye Tanya!"

I glanced at the time; I had around a day left before I had to go to school. I groaned loudly, thinking of the tedium that I'd have to endure, again.

24 hours. That was more than enough time for me to fly around the globe; I had done it a few times before. Besides, even if I didn't get back to Forks by early Monday, Alice would have Esme call the school and tell them that I was sick or something.

A smile of excitement spread across my face as the plane shot through the cloudless sky at a breakneck speed. If I were human, everything would have been reduced to a fuzzy blur, but I was a vampire, and I could see every minute detail with clarity as they replaced each other over a hundred times within a second.

Lush, green forests gradually changed into sandy plains, which morphed into an endless rocky desert. The plane skimmed over the surface of the Earth as the landscape shifted visibly every second.

As I flew over Northwestern Asia, I realized that barely 6 hours had passed. I slowed the plane down and landed it smoothly on the thick ice. The glacial wind whipped wildly through my silky copper hair and hurtled itself through my thin T-shirt and jeans as I stepped out of the plane, goading me to fall. _As if that would happen_, I laughed, and the sound echoed into the expanse, ringing until I could not hear it anymore.

Everything was so white, so beautiful, so pure and innocent, _so perfect_. I closed my eyes and smiled, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

The peaceful silence was broken as I heard a flock of birds flapping their wings in the distance. I ran silently towards them, wondering why they would be here, in the middle of nowhere.

They were large, their bodies whiter than snow. They had defined necks and wide, feather-covered wings. After a moment, I realized that they were hungry, and wanted the fish under the seemingly unbreakable ice. They circled in the sky, not knowing what to do.

Then suddenly, one of them dropped onto the ice. Was it hurt? Too tired? Then it flew back into the sky, higher, and dropped again. Soon, the whole flock was flying and dropping as the ice began to crack. Finally, I could see the ice giving way to the ocean, and birds plunged into the water, grabbing fish as they exited.

I walked slowly back to the plane, amazed at what I'd just witnessed.

My mind was focused on the flock of birds as I flew the plane into Europe. In some ways, I was a bird, and Edward was a fish. What stood in our way was the ice, or Bella. If I wanted Edward, then I couldn't be alone, because I couldn't break the ice myself. I needed other people to help me.

I looked at the scenery below me, and saw a dark, ominous castle glaring back at me. It was the Volturi Castle.

Then an idea hit me: the Volturi could help me, help me break the ice, help me defeat Bella.

The plane made a sharp turn and glided down a flat path. I flung my hair over my shoulder and strode to the main door. It opened with a small squeak and the receptionist looked up.

"May I talk to Aro, please?"

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


	16. Chapter 16

I do not own any of the characters, Mrs. Meyer does.

Chapter 16

Aro's POV

The human's scream was barely out of its throat before I had its neck snapped and was eagerly drinking down its savory blood. This flavor was different – Brazilian, I assumed – and it tasted exquisitely exotic; it had been a while since I'd tasted something besides the dull, Italian flavor that I had grown used to.

I finished off three more humans before I felt satisfied, and left the feeding room, heading for my office.

"Chelsea, Afton," I nodded my head in acknowledgement as I passed them in the halls.

They bowed their heads. "Master," they said in synchronization.

I didn't bother to close the door as I floated to my desk. There were reports that there was a growing newborn army in eastern India led by powerful vampires. Supposedly, one of the older vampires had a formidable gift: the ability to command fire. What a wonderful addition it would make to our Guard, I thought excitedly. It would also make us that much more feared, more powerful. I smiled, delighted.

I would have to bring Alec and Jane with me, for sure, along with Demetri, Chelsea and Felix. I wonderful briefly if Santiago should come, but decided against it; we would be enough with Alec and Jane, and he would want to spend some time with his newfound mate. Ahhh, I was glad that he had his 'happy ending', though there was no 'ending'. I chuckled at the irony.

"Mr. Aro, there is someone who wishes to speak to you." The receptionist's voice drifted through the speakers on my desk.

"Do they have an appointment?" I asked lazily, knowing full well that I didn't have any appointments today.

She hesitated. "No, but she says that she has information that you would be very interested in."

I was intrigued. "In that case, send her to my office immediately, Zoe."

A few moments later, a figure walked into my office. She wasn't petite, but she wasn't tall either. Long, copper hair hung straight down her back and her face was unique. I didn't recognize her. She smiled warmly and held her hand out to me.

I returned the smile and rushed forward, taking her hand in mine impatiently.

I let go of her hand without realizing what I was doing. Certainly her plan was good, and I had a lot to gain, but I couldn't bend the rules enough to allow it; Bella hadn't broken the law.

But Bella's powers! From what Jennifer saw, Bella could turn invisible, create pain, and maybe have some kind of shield! And that may not be all! I couldn't help but get excited as I thought of her potential. She had not only one gift, but at least three! Three! I was amazed.

If only there was a law that she had broken so that we would have a claim on her.

I wondered why I was suddenly pacing back and forth in my office, but I didn't care. I just needed an excuse – _any_ excuse – so that Bella would join our guard. Edward had definitely broken the law by telling Bella about vampires, but afterwards, she was changed, so it didn't matter now. Besides that, I couldn't think of a valid reason to bother the Cullens or Bella now.

Jennifer watched my pacing closely, clearly hoping that I would accept, and help her get rid of Bella. I could also tell that she hoped that I would just make up a random excuse to get to Bella, which wasn't possible.

I skidded to a halt. "You said that you weren't allowed on La Push because of the werewolves or shape shifters, correct?"

"Yes," Jennifer said slowly, confused.

"And they know about us," I said it as a statement.

Jennifer suddenly understood. "Yes!" she shouted, unable to curb her enthusiasm.

"But I will have to discuss this with my brothers first, Jennifer. Nicolas," I called. "Please escort Jennifer to a guest suite."

As soon as they left, I strolled down the hallway to Caius' office. "Come in," he called absentmindedly as I paused in front of the closed door.

"Brother," I greeted him.

He looked at me, shoving the papers on his desk aside. "Ah, brother. What brings you here?"

"Many things, dear Cauis, many things."

Tell me what you think! Good? Bad? Reviews are the things that keep me writing ^_^


End file.
